I have just got to make some totems that go on poles...yours are very cute! I know what you mean about TS prices...ours have been raising prices too! Wah!!

Precious totem 'village'. Great idea!!!!!

Very cute. I've bot a few little houses at YS's very cheaply but hesitate to use them on totems as I thot they might not be waterproof.

I'm finding the same problem with thrift stores here. Yard sales have much better prices usually.

I'm getting the stuff to make some, but can't get the time. DD and Gk's are living with us for the moment...I bought 2 sizes of dall rods, there were several in a bundle for 2.50 each...Guess I can paint them...

I spray darn near everything with Krylon sealer. Use about 4 coats for things out in the weather. I especially like how the gloss version makes things look like china or porcelain.

hugs, Karen

I failed to seal them when I first put them out. That's why the tallest one is in such bad shape. Oh well, live & learn.
Vickie

Yard sales are the way to go right now, and you can haggle prices a little if need be. What caught my eye in your pic was the beautiful red chair. LOVE IT!

I love the red chair too, first thing caught my eye. And the totems are sweet too, Vickie.

Seems like our local Thrift Stores have been getting too steep on their pricing too, which doesn't make sense during a recession. I always do better at yard sales. The church or other fund raising group yardsales are great because there's so much at one stop.

I just look at the Classifieds in the local paper online and Craigslist, copy & paste the ones I'm interested in onto a Word document with Google mapped directions when needed, and off I go with my "plan" for the day. And the path always leads to unexpected finds, they're usually the best ones. The "hunt" is a big part of the fun. ~tenderlee